this this week, disaster in the pacific. as my team and i cross japan to find almost a biblical scene of destruction. fears of a nuclear meltdown. after the powerful earthquake. the devastating wall of water. a race is on to stop a dangerous radiation leak. and rescue tens of thousands. >> announcer: from abc news, a special "this week" with christiane amanpour, disaster in the pacific, live from tokyo, starts now. >> hello, again, and we are here live broadcasting from tokyo, where the government is scrambling to deal with this massive crisis. an earthquake, a tsunami, and a

nuclear disaster. the prime minister said on television that this is an unprecedented crisis, the worst challenge this country has had to deal with since world war ii. we're here near the narita airport. the staging ground for u.s. and other international help rushing in. the government is concerned about a second meltdown at a second reaction, and a possible explosion there. it's playing down the idea of leakage of nuclear radiation. and we're going to talk about that. we're going the talk about what we saw today. my team and i went to the north where most devastation has been. my colleagues have reached some of the worst hit areas. as aid officials are also reaching those areas for the first time. we'll have all that in the broadcast. later, jake tapper, my colleague, will turn to all the news from washington. president obama and the united states administration are not

only having to monitor this crisis but also the civil war in libya. and as well, a bitter budget battle on capitol hill. but first, to the situation here in japan. let's look at a map of the country. the earthquake struck just off the coast of japan. it sent strong tremors at least 200 miles from the epicenter. the tsunami wave destroyed and damaged two-thirds of the east coast of this island nation. and now, government officials north here in the miyagi prefecture, which is home to sendai, the worst-hit area, say there could be 10,000 people dead in that one place alone. the government is calling on all people here to conserve electricity. it's warning that electric power will be rationed because so much of the electricity comes from the nuclear power plants that are now shut down. my team and i took a helicopter tour up north.

we saw the devastation firsthand from the air. as we make our way through the outskirts of tokyo, life looks surprisingly normal. the trains are running again. three days after the powerful earthquake shook even this capital, hundreds of miles from the epicenter. last night, there was an explosion at the fukushima power plant. as we're driving, we hear that another reactor is overheating. >> translator: we're assuming that a meltdown has occurred. with reactor number three, we're assuming the possibility of a meltdown. >> reporter: as we continue to make our way towards the quake zone, we wonder how much of the country has been affected by this kind of chaos and destruction. we're about to find out. as we arrive at the airfield. the helicopter is taking on fuel. we're going up to the sendai earthquake zone. japan is not a massive country. but part of the sendai area is

quite remote. some of the roads have been damaged. there are mountains in the greater area. that is hampering assessment and relief and the delivery of supplies. on the hour-long ride to the city of sendai, near the epicenter, little evidence of the earthquake. much of the countryside appears unscathed. as we approach sendai, we see the city still standing. as the chopper turns to the coast, the full extent of the devastation reveals itself. huge swaths of land remain underwater. we fly past the plume of black smoke. billowing 3,000 feet into the air. the petrochemical plant below has been burning since the quake struck. and oil is spilling into the water. japanese rescue operations are been launched by sea and by land. search and rescue teams are coming from across europe, ah

the united states, australia, and south korea. >> the longer time goes on, the less likely you'll find survivors. the imperative is for us to get there as soon as possible. >> reporter: a team of japanese workers that had gone to new zealand to help with recovery efforts after last month's 6.3 earthquake there are now heading home. >> we have heard the severe situation in japan. we're going back today. we have heard the severe situation in japan. we are going back to japan today. >> reporter: already, we have seen dramatic rescues taking place this weekend. workers searching through rubble and rescuers transporting survivors to safety. but the fear here, among so many, is palpable. >> translator: my husband hasn't come here yet. he left home a little later than me. our house was swept away. >> reporter: they search the names of the missing.

>> translator: my son might have been engulfed by the tsunami. i hope he's taken shelter somewhere. >> reporter: this young mother can only hope that her worries are unfounded. >> translator: that's my name. the tsunami swept away my car and my house was burned down afterwards. my sons must be worried about me. the phone lines are bad. i could only send out one text message. i want to let my family know i'm alive. >> reporter: best of all, scenes like this one. a man reunited with his rife. >> translator: i'm so lucky to have survived. >> translator: i'm relieved to see him again. i can't rejoice completely. because people continue to be in need of being rescued. >> reporter: in the city of

kesennuma, houses and buildings are carried away by the waters. here, the city of minamisanriku before the quake. and now. this is a country united in grief. in shock. and in their struggles. many residents in fukushima near the nuclear power plant expressed fear about the fallout here. this factory worker said, 20 kilometers way is safe. but the radiation may change and go out wider. there's no way to get out of here. i think it's safe at the moment, said another local resident. i'm worried that the radiation might have already reached us. throughout the day, government officials said that the radiation levels are safe outside the 20-meter evacuation zone. there have been reports of

higher than normal levels and people suffering from full-on radiation sickness. the place where i work might be contaminated, said this schoolteacher. i came here to have a check and try to find out what i have to do next. at the airport in tokyo, i spoke to a german journalist trying to get close to the plant. he came prepared. >> a geiger counter, i think it's called in english, yeah? >> reporter: what does it measure? >> the radio activity here in the airport right now here in tokyo. >> reporter: is it high or low here? >> it's completely low. >> reporter: but if it should rise as he approaches -- >> then we should leave. right now, it's nothing dangerous. >> reporter: as you know, there are mixed reports about the radiation issue. the government has been saying lately that it's been going down. but there have been so many

reports about how the levels have been much, much higher than acceptable. several times higher than the japanese legal limit. as we were this the air over the sendai area, our colleague clarissa ward had reached sendai. she gives us a snapshot of what she saw while we were in the air. >> one of the first things we noticed was the amount of traffic. literally, ten-block lines of cars waiting for gas, which is now being rationed. long lines of people waiting outside of convenience stores. it's been two days since that quake. people are getting anxious that supplies are dwindling. but for the most part, this area of the city looks pretty normal. some electricity. traffic lights seemed to be functioning. it was when we hit the port area that we saw the scope of the devastation. that area felt like war zone. sirens wailing.

soldiers pouring into the area trying to assess is damage. smoke billowing up into the sky. it's almost impossible to describe the level and scope of the devastation. the process of trying to get into the city turned out to be quite an epic journey. we're on our way to the city of sendai. we've been traveling 36 hours. we've been diverted through three cities. japan's internal transportation system, normally a model of efficien efficiency, has been crippled by this earthquake. we've come across a mountain range in the middle of the island. we're coming toward the city of sendai. it's tough. there are cars driving around with loud speakers. telling people to evacuate here because there are still fears of another possible tsunami. when you look at the damage here, you can understand why they're so nervous. it's just incredible, the scope of the devastation.

these cars strewn like toys. everything was destroyed. by this massive wave of water. authorities have completely blocked off that port area. they say it's simply two danger use for anyone to be there at night. christiane? >> she talks about another possible tsunami. the government has said in the next three days, there could also possibly be another earthquake of a 7.0 magnitude. that is worrying all the people around the power plants. david muir has gone up north and got to the limit of where people are allowed to get to when it comes to that nuclear reactor area. >> reporter: good morning. as you know, we have been traveling around the perimeter of the evacuation zone around the perimeter of the reactors. one of the first things we

recognized, drying at night, hard to see the true damage. workers stopping us telling us that the roads are too buckled. then here, in hitachi city, this was hard to miss. cars piled atop one another. they had been carried up the street by the tsunami. further out, daybreak, even inland, homes were flattened. this particular home, the older couple living inside survived. they're now living with their own grown children. and something eerie. children's music still coming from inside that flattened home. couldn't tell if it was a toy or an alarm, still going off after the earthquake. one of the most telling images. the massive lines for water. have you ever seen anything like this? he said it was the first time he had ever seen anything like it. is it bad, is it difficult? yes, he told us. the line for water, as far as we could see. at the only convenience store open in two hours of driving

today was a 7-eleven, actually. no power there. families were scooping up what they could on the shelves. anything that was left. outside this mother and little girl. how old is she? the mother told us something we heard very often. are you nervous about the nuclear reactors? yes, very nervous. not quite sure what to do. when i asked her what she's doing, she said she's following the instructions given to her on the television. not to leave the home, to seal the windows tight. the only reason she came out this time was because she was running out of food. one other parent said they were more worried about being at home in the dark with their children at night. christiane, back to you. >> david muir up as far as he could get toward the nuclear power plant. when we come back, we'll have a report about the nuclear industry. we'll have a report about the dangers there. we're going to have an

interesting panel to talk about what might be next. and later, jake tapper takes us to washington with all the news there. including president obama's budget battle on capitol hill. after a break. logistics was once the dominion of a very few. the largest and most powerful organizations. logistics was our secret weapon. logistics was our black heart. the thought that any business... any upstart could access the power of logistics... that's... unthinkable.

so first an earthquake. then a tsunami. then a nuclear disaster. this country is in a race to really save those reactors from any further damage than has already been created. abc's bob woodruff takes a look inside what the government is trying to do. >> reporter: friday's devastating earthquake, one of the most powerful ever recorded, was centered off the coast of japan, about 80 miles from two

nuclear power plants. the horrific tsunami that followed slammed into both facilities. as the nation struggled to comprehend the tragedy, another nightmare had already begun. >> first of all, the backup systems failed. the pumps, the electricity, all gone because of the earthquake and tsunami. this was not supposed to happen. >> reporter: at the core of the nuclear power plant are uranium rods. they become superhot. the heat drives the turbines to create electricity. the core has to stay underwater to keep it from getting too hot. that's exactly what was beginning to happen here. as plant workers tried everything they could, the experts were getting nervous. >> they're trying to end the crisis. it's a question of capability.

can they? >> reporter: as pressure rose, in the fukushima prefecture reactor, officials struggled in a fight against time to get the pumps fully working. finally, on saturday, an explosion ripped away the building housing the reactor. >> one, by one, every single layer of safety is failing right before their eyes. it's a last ditch measure. they're reaching for the absolute solution. that is to inject sea water right into the reactor core. anything to stabilize it to keep from the going up. >> reporter: an evacuation plan was quickly widened. to include 200,000 people. around the daiichi plant. >> they had never declared a nuclear emergency friday morning. by friday afternoon, they had

declared five. >> reporter: as the drama continued, americans were reminded of our own near nightmare. the 1979 three mile island accident. >> radio activity is higher than the dose leetle to humans. >> reporter: that meltdown is still considered to be the most serious accident in nuclear power plant history in the u.s. causing widespread panic. disaster was perilously close. however, the worst case happened seven years later in the soviet union. >> there has definitely been a meltdown in the nuclear reactor in chernobyl. >> by far, the biggest collapse, the biggest problem was chernobyl. the only real core fire that we have ever had. it spewed tons of radioactive material in the atmosphere.

>> reporter: in the end, experts estimate 4,000 were killed both by the immediate disaster and by radiation-related diseases in the years to come. the chernobyl disaster lacked the concrete shell that is essential for safety. >> three mile island ended nuclear power construction in the united states. krer noble ended most nuclear power construction around the world. >> reporter: in the years since, safety has improved. 30 years after the problem at his plant, the current manager assured me that the repeat of 1979 would be extremely unlikely. that kind of melting is not going to happen again. >> that's correct. >> reporter: there's no way? >> that's correcti. they're safe. they're tested constantly. >> reporter: the disaster in japan could sway public opinion against nuclear power. despite the thought that safety is better than ever. bob woodruff, abc news, new york. joining me to discuss this is joe cirincione and abc's jake

tapper and martha raddatz. let me start with you, mr. cirincione, how bad is this nuclear meltdown and the fears there may be another explosion here at one of the reactors? >> this is already one of the worst nuclear accidents in history if it stops right now. we're dealing with multiple meltdown possibilities. at reactor number one, at reactor number two. daiichi site. there are concerns about the daini site. there's concerns about reactors at multiple sites. other facilities would have been significant problems themselves, but they're caught in the wake of these nuclear reactors that possibly will melt down in the next couple of days. >> jake, how worried is the u.s. administration that this could reach the united states? >> as of now, the concerns are minor that it would reach guam

or the mariamarianis islands or hawaii. there's minor concern. administration officials are concerned in general about the potential for the spreading of radioactive material. they've sent a whole number of experts to the region to monitor the situation, to help the japanese, of course, but also to get our own information firsthand. >> and martha, talking about information, there's been a feeling that the japanese government has been playing it down, even though they've been on television almost every hour. giving briefings. take us back to friday and how this all played out. >> literally, right after the earthquake and tsunami, i was talking to u.s. officials. they said the japanese are playing this down. they're very, very nervous about what is happening at the plants. they were not talking to the u.s. officials. it was one-way communication. the u.s. was offering help.

they were offering immediate help to get nuclear teams in there. the japanese were resisting that. that was a real frustration in the beginning. i think that frustration remains, some what. they have a lot of people that could go in and help immediately. the facility could not withstand that earthquake. so you have to wonder going forward, are they really ready for what may happen next? >> now, mr. cirincione, at least three people have been treated for radiation sickness inside the plant. according to the government. can you explain how these failsafe measures actually failed? what happened that did not make sure that the facility shut down safely? >> nuclear reactors are built to withstand crises, and even multiple crises. but it's very hard to build a

facility that could withstand this. it's a one-two bunch. the earthquake knocked out the electrical supply. the tsunami took out the backup electrical supply. they've been running on backup, battery power. as the pumps lot the ability to do that, the core was exposed. at least half the core is exposed at reactor number one. at daiichi. that led to the radiation exposure. no amount is good for the workers scrambling to get the reactors under control, it could be fatal. >> jake, they have already said that they filled the damaged reactors with salt water, which basically means they have given up on them. they're not going to work anymore. how much confidence does the united states have in its counterparts in the nuclear facilities and agencies? >> if the crisis happened here, the u.s. would be turning to japan.

these are the top people many the field. that said, these are government officials. it has been pointed out, it's not always true that the first things you're hearing from government officials are the accurate information. it's often optimistic. they don't want to have a panic. the administration is confident, but i think they have their cries wide open that not all the information might be the worst case nair yoe. might always be the best case scenario. >> we know that these kinds of things always affect the idea of using nuclear power for energy. what effect do you think this will have on many people's desire to increase the use of nuclear power? >> i think it will have a huge effect. we're dealing with the crisis now. i spoke to a senior administration official last night. they said, that's one of the major concerns. how this will affect nuclear

power in the future. there were demonstrations in germany already. i think you'll see here in the u.s., we'll surely take a look at our nuclear facilities and have japan as a bad model there of what can happen that you haven't planned for. >> martha, raddatz, jake tapper, joe cirincione, thank you for joining me. jake will be back after a break. with all the news from washington and the big budget battles. and i'll be back later from japan. i'll be back later from japan. ight ♪ ♪ that's when all the conditions are right for a good time ♪ [ male announcer ] advanced technology that helps provide cleaner air, cleaner water, and helps make all of us more energy efficient is something the whole world can get in step with. [ static ] ♪ i need a good time [ male announcer ] ecomagination from ge. it's technology that makes the world work. ♪

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roberts, jon karl, and democratic strategist donna brazile. this morning, we have news that the rebels have withdraw from brega. after being heavily bombarded by gadhafi's forces from sea, land, and air. how do you think the president has been handling the crisis? >> as well as can be expected and a crisis he cannot control. it begins by people saying the president must say something. the president says gadhafi must go. then the international criminal court, via the u.n., they recommend for prosecution. if he leaves, gadhafi leaves libya, he's subject to arrest and prosecution. there's an arms embargo probably including the people fighting gadhafi. at which point, people begin to say, well, the president having said, gadhafi must go.

if he doesn't, that is a defeat for america and we can't stand for that. this is how interventions happen. >> the arab league came out with the idea of a no-fly zone, to be imposed by who knows who. a no-fly zone was supported by someone else. let's roll the tape. >> we have the planes to make our appropriate contribution to this. and i wouldn't do it if they hadn't asked. but if the leaders are on television pleading for it, so people don't get bombed, people that are there with revolvers -- >> and nato today -- >> i think we should do it. >> i think we should do it says bill clinton. is president obama showing enough leadership on this? >> i think the nation should

have private leadership. the president has said what he can say publicly, to this point. the u.s. has believed inside the organizations. the problem is, they don't know where they want to go. we don't know who the opposition is. the administration doesn't have a clue who those people are. getting involved, as secretary gates and chief of staff daly have made clear, getting involved in another muslim country with the u.s. military is worrisome, to say the least. >> there are good reasons a no-fly zone might be a bad idea. you have to start with bombing the country. it starts with an attack on libya. make no mistake. if gadhafi is still in power next year, libya is still a mess, this will be a central issue for republicans. they will say this is exhibit "a." of what happens when you have a foreign policy when america does not show leadership. you're seeing it with some of the hill saying, the french are leading on this. where is america? >> donna, is this fair? >> it is not. i agree with george, this is a first.

no, i'm joking. >> it's a second. >> yeah, a third. but, look. the french are taking the lead. the british. they want to employ a no-fly zone. italy is not prepared. other countries -- germany is not prepared. the europeans are divided. the arab league may be united. but the europeans are not united. i think the president is right to pressure gadhafi to help the opposition to the extent we know who they are. and to hold all of the other contingencies on the side. the last thing we need to do is intervene in another muslim country unless we have the broad support from our allies, nato and others. >> so it's not just the u.s. going in. >> absolutely. >> it seems clear from john mccain's comments if he had won the election, we would be at war with a third muslim country right now. jim webb, sfor from senator.

>> virginia, perhaps the only man in congress who has known combat. >> john kerry. >> that's true. >> mccain from the -- in any case, he knows combat. >> he said, i don't believe it's a good idea to give arms and military support to people that we don't know. all the insurgents have in common is they hate gadhafi. some of them probably hate each other. what happens if the people topple him and then they turn on one another? what are our responsibilities? >> why do we hear this, drum beat for action? why to we hear this, we need to do more, we need to do more? >> because gadhafi is a bad guy. and he's been a bad guy for a long time. the idea of getting him out of there is very appealing. it's in the context of what is going on in the rest of north africa. this romantic notion of sweeping out the bad guys and bringing in democracy is wonderful. we don't have a clue whether that is going to happen.

>> we've frozen his assets. so long-term, it would make it even harder, if he retains power, it will be hard to enforce anything beyond what he's doing now, which is killing his own people. i think focusing on libya is a distraction. we should be focusing on other parts of the middle east that might be imploding at this moment. >> much more on "the roundtable" coming up. on capitol hill, the budget battle continues. and in new hampshire, the gaffe heard round the world. mpshire, the gaffe heard round the world. anager ] . i've been looking at the numbers, and i think our campus is spending too much money on printing. i'd like to put you in charge of cutting costs. calm down. i know that it is not your job. what i'm saying... excuse me? alright, fine. no, you don't have to do it. ok? [ male announcer ] notre dame knows it's better

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and cold hard conviction. you made the money. you should have everything you need to invest it. e-trade. investing unleashed. we'll have more from japan and more from washington with the high-powered "roundtable" diving into the budget battle taking place on capitol hill. mcc

why are we doing all this when the most powerful person in these negotiations, our president, has failed to lead this debate or offer a serious proposal for spending and cuts that he would be willing to fight for? how does that make sense? >> a rare rebuke of the president from a member of his own party. the new west virginia senator joe manchin saying it's time for the president to show strength. this week, the president said he's tired of the temporary budget extensions. it's time to get down to brass tacks. as the senior political correspondent jon karl learned, roping in the spending spree will not be easy. ♪ our love will always be >> reporter: here an unlikely

front in the budget wars, a cowboy poetry festival in nevada. the senate majority leader is accusing republicans of trying to kill it by slashing endowments for the humanities. >> as i fly out on the morning before the birds, before the dawn -- >> it's the reason we have in northern nevada every january. the cowboy poetry festival. had that program not been around, the tens of thousands of people that come there every year would not exist. >> reporter: why are you trying to kill the cowboy poetry festival? >> isn't that wonderful. when we're borrowing $3.5 billion a day, our future is bleak, that we're going to defend something that is not something that we have to do. >> reporter: republicans are trying to kill much more. than the cowboy poetry festival. their bill to fund the government iffer the rest of the year eliminates funding for the

corporation for public broadcasting and planned pare parenthood. 2.8 billion from the epa and nearly $5 billion from the department of education. some programs favored by conservatives. $450 million for a fighter jet that it eliminates. all told, about $60 billion in cuts that democrats say are mean-spirited and devastating. >> it's a very, very difficult, bad piece of legislation. >> reporter: the democrats countered with a cut of $4.7 billion. both bills failed to pass the senate. but the democratic bill gt fewer votes, even though senate dams are now the majority. now they have to find a compromise or face a government shut down.

this pizza represents the $1.6 trillion deficit. the republican cuts are about this much. one-twenty-fifth of the deficits. the democratic cuts, they're one-tenth of this. not much. among the items not cut by either bill, unemployment benefits for millionaires. the government spends more than $20 million a year for unemployment checks for people with more than $1 million of annual income. and no cut to the $28 million spent each year to print the congressional record, a chronicle of every word uttered in congress and is already available online. the only thing this is used for these days is filling up recycling bins on capitol hill. there are a bunch of bigger ticket items. about $6 billion in tax breaks and subsidies for cash rich oil companies.

which most republicans are unwilling to touch. does exxonmobil need a tax break? >> they should be treated equally. as any other domestic company. >> reporter: but they have these tax credits. they to bath back to the early days of the oil industry. i mean, why? do they need it? >> do you want domestic manufacturing? >> reporter: but exxonmobil is not going to go out of business. >> do you want everything made in china? >> reporter: do you find it's hard to defend the tax credits? >> i've been doing it for the last ten minutes. >> reporter: the real reason for the sky-high-def sit is because neither party is dealing with the big ticket items. social security, medicare, defense. until they do, the department will keep climbing higher and higher, no matter what happens to the cowboy poetry festival. for "this week." i'm jonathan karl. >> and jon makes a salient

point, most of the budget is not being debated. >> they say we're only debating discretionary spending. we should ban that word. it's all discretionary. other than interest on the national debt. social security is discretionary. we have the discretion to change the law. >> but, the -- they don't because they don't care to. it requires everybody holding hands and jumping at once. and there's not a lot of hand-holding and "kumbaya" singing on capitol hill. i don't think we'll see that happening. this fight, i do think, will be interesting to see how it works out for republicans next year. >> you think they might be overreaching? >> absolutely. it happens with both parties. they do it all the time. they come to power and think the voters have told them something different than the voters have actually told them. the voters say, stop bickering, get along. pass -- run the country. instead they do things like, we're not -- we're going to tell

the epa not to have any power over greenhouse gases. they're going cut head start. that's overreaching. they have never had to run on a record. next year, they have to go out and run on a record. they're going to have trouble with that. >> they ran on a promise to deal with it. paul ryan will come out with a budget next month that will address medicare. and a lot of the republican leadership up on the hill thinks this is a terrible mistake. they think he's driving off a cliff. he's charging ahead. it will be interesting to see how it plays out. he did it on his own, before he was chairman of the budget committee. he had only 13 cosponsors of the bill. now he's doing it on behalf of the republican leadership. >> the democrats are urging republicans to send over a clean bill. not all these cultural and

political appetizers. >> the riders attaches to the bill. >> let's have an up or down vote. we can finish up this fiscal year. >> the senate voted down two budgets this week. we have learned that the leadership really can't control their forces. so it's the -- it's hard to know how it's going to go. >> they keep moving the goal post. last year, mr. innouye had a bill that mr. mccaskill and mr. sessions supported. it would have reduced the deficit. the last current fiscal year. that was rejected. now they've moved the goal post. the republicans wanted 100. the democrats said 50. we're somewhere in between. what bothers me is, we're focusing on one little slice of that pie. you didn't bring me any because there's not a lot of pie there. >> 12% is the domestic discretionary budget. >> imagine if this was the

kitchen table we sat at to make budget decisions. we have a budget deficit. let's throw the kids off of head start. >> i want to talk about a small nibble of that domestic discretionary slice. the npr. the funding for the corporation of public broadcasting. cokie is a long-time employee of npr. this was not a good week for npr. >> to put it mildly. >> james o'keefe did a sting operation and caught the now former director saying disparaging things. he's gone. the ceo, vivian schiller is gone. toward the end of this week, this video was released. it shows betsy lilley talking to this fictitious donor said he was working with a group affiliated with the muslim brotherhood. and wanted to give a $5 million gift. >> it sounded like you're saying that npr would be able to shield

us from an audit. is that the case? >> i think that is the case. i can check. >> you've been involved in this npr for 30 years. but why should we care? >> i should say, that they did then reject that money, and sent internal e-mails saying this is totally unacceptable. we have to have tax forms, all of that. that should be stated. but, look, we should care because 34 million people listen every week and want to get the news that you get there, that you can't get any place else. npr has 17 foreign bureaus. you can't say that for any other broadcast organization these days. and brings you terrific information, day in and day out, week in and week out. the reporters on the line, being shot at in north africa at the moment are being badly served by the management that are gone. >> npr is run by people that don't like people like me. which is fine. but the problem is, there are

14,000 radio stations in the country. the government should not be subsidizing entertainment or journalism. this is is an issue in sear-- t solution in search of a problem. >> 14,000 raid joe stations not in rural areas. npr gets hardly any money from the federal government. and the big stations get hardly any money. but the tiny rural stations where there is nothing else on the air, get a loft money and would go dark. and up next, michelle bachman misfires in new hampshire. and we go back to japan. don't sweat it. i just switched us to sprint, so e-mail, web...on 4g... it's all unlimited. [ cellphone buzzes ] you just texted me to read the memo? unlimited text too. we really need you on this conference call.

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there's no question that at times in my life, partially driven by how passionately i felt about this country, that i worked far too hard and that things happened in my life that were not appropriate. >> former speaker newt gingrich explaining his marital infidelity. in an interview with the christian broadcasting network. the former house speaker is inching closer to an official campaign announcement. donna brazile, mr. gingrich said he believes in a forgiving god. are the voters in iowa as forgiving? >> you know, the irony of this situation is that mr. gingrich impeached bill clinton in the matter. i don't think infidelity will be a disqualifying issue. perhaps his positions on the issues. perhaps something else. but, um, do i believe in forgiveness? yes.

do i believe that the speaker should go out there and make his case on other issues? yes. will this disqualify him? no. >> i think it will. i think it's just a great line. i can see every straying husband coming home and saying to his wife, honey, i'm just loving my country. nothing i can do about it. i mean -- >> over and over and over again. >> right. >> george, will this hurt him? >> sure. forgiveness is god's business, not the electorate's business. the answer is, gentlemen, don't try this at home. it really doesn't work. >> what do you hear from republicans about that statement, jon? because, his infidelity is not new. we have known about it for a long time. this was a rather unusual -- >> defense. >> he's had 12 years to come up with an answer for this. this is the answer? it did not play well. speaking of not playing well. another would-be presidential hopeful was up in new hampshire, congresswoman

michelle bachman. from minnesota. he's here's what she had to say. >> what i love about new hampshire and what we have in common is our extreme love for liberty. you're the state where the shot was heard round the world at lexington and concord. >> perhaps, mr. will, you can explain to the viewers what she got wrong when she said that new hampshire is the state. where the shot in lexington and concord was heard around the world. >> their banners to april's breeze unfurled. >> this is why she's so confused. because you say things like that. >> it's cowboy poetry. >> you're interrupting emerson. there the embattled farmers stood and fired the shot heard round the world in concord, massachusetts. now full disclosure, my wife occasionally advises michelle bachman, but not on american history. >> or geography. maine was part of massachusetts then. >> to be fair, concord, new

hampshire, is only 72 miles from concord, massachusetts. i think you could probably see it from your porch. >> there we go with the porch thing. how serious do you think congresswoman bachman is about running for president? >> i think she's totally serious. i was told by one of her top advisers he would be surprised if she did not run. and moreover, jake, i'll tell you, talk to republicans in iowa, they say she could be a force in the iowa caucus. >> i agree. she's the head of the tea party caucus in the house. there are a lot of republicans in the base that find her compelling. >> and also in the iowa caucuses, so many of the caucusgoers on the republican side there are evangelical. she's a religious person. five kids. >> and foster-cared for more than 20. she walked the walk.

>> she did indeed. i think that would be appealing. >> and she's from minnesota, a nearby state. she's the gift that keeps on giving in the republican caucus at this moment. come tuesday, when they decide on the budget, she may bring up issues that mr. boehner might not want to discuss. i think she's going to cause a lot of confusion, a lot of chaos within the republican caucus. but if this furthers her pr presidential run, go for it. >> i want to end with george on this. donna is right. confusion and chaos are words that come to mind with congresswoman bachman sometimes. you wrote a biting commentary about mike huckabee, newt gingrich, sarah palin, versus some of the more serious, adult republican presidential possibilities. where is michelle bachman in this? >> she's not among the serious contenders. some voters are not inflamed in the way some others are.

>> we'll have to leave it there. back with more from japan after this. ♪ [ male announcer ] imagination. its supply is limitless. its power is beyond measure. imagination carries us into the future... and helps doctors see what they couldn't before. it provides funding so that solutions beyond our grasp... become within reach. ecomagination. healthymagination.

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drama. stay with abc for all your news. including "world news with david muir" later tonight. tomorrow, "good morning america," and tomorrow night, "world news with diane sawyer." thank you for watching. for me and my colleague, jake tapper.

in the news, officials are dealing with a second nuclear unit in japan. also the massive response in santa cruz where 18 ♪ have a good daisy ♪ eat well, live long ♪ have a good daisy, work out, get strong ♪ ♪ when you need a lift, just sing a song ♪ ♪ and have a good daisy